Review: DKnight Big MagicBox Bluetooth Speaker

If you have spent any amount of time searching for a Bluetooth speaker on Amazon, then the chances are good that you have come across DKnight products before. This is a company who has brought to market a number of Bluetooth speaker options which are generally affordable products, compared to the similar-level options from other manufacturers. One of their more popular speakers is the DKnight Big MagicBox Bluetooth speaker - as this is one which combines power with affordability. In fact, this a Bluetooth speaker which you can currently pick up for around the $59.99 price point.

Specs

The DKnight Big MagicBox comes equipped with two 52 mm drivers with each driver rated to offer an output of 10-watts, resulting in an overall total output of 20-watts. The frequency response on offer is 90 Hz - 20 kHz, while the signal-to-noise ration is listed as 60 dB. Although the unit is also said to come packing advanced bass enhancement technology to offer a more detailed bass output. While in terms of connectivity, the DKnight Big MagicBox establishes a connection over Bluetooth v4.0, which means it does have the potential to be able to maintain a connection with a Bluetooth streaming device from as far as 33 feet away. Although, it is worth pointing out that this is a device which also comes with a 3.5 mm jack input port which allows for the devices to be connected locally as well. Battery life is utilized by way of a 4,000 mAh rechargeable battery, which is listed to be able to offer playback for up to 12 hours. While, in terms of the physical properties, the DKnight Big Magic Box measures 7.5-inches by 2.75-inches by 2.75-inches and weighs 15 ounces.

In the Box

The unboxing experience is a rather straightforward one. The DKnight Big MagicBox comes packed within a cardboard box which is further packaged within a black DKnight printed cardboard sleeve. In terms of the contents and besides the actual DKnight Big MagicBox Bluetooth Speaker, there is a 3.5 mm audio cable, a microUSB charging cable and a small quick start guide.

Design & Hardware

The DKnight Big MagicBox Bluetooth Speaker is one which adopts a design which is becoming a very traditional Bluetooth speaker design. As a result, this is a speaker which is tubular in nature. Although, the design is not one which is fully circular due to a the back of the speaker adopting a flatter strip which runs along the entirety of the speaker. The clear benefit of this non-fully tubular design is that the DKnight Big MagicBox can very easily be laid flat. The outer casing is one which is designed to be durable and this is optimized through the use of soft touch rubber. Which means while the speaker is relatively protected and can withstand certain degrees of trauma. The soft touch rubber also does mean that it is relatively comfortable to hold. Making this an ideal solution for those looking for a speaker they can throw in their bag, take with them and use pretty much anywhere. For those who do intend to use the speaker as more of a home fixture, the DKnight Big MagicBox adopts a solid black coloring which should fit in fairly nicely with the rest of your home electronics.

In fact, with the exception of a very small branding plate which is located near the back of the left hand side of the speaker, this is a very unassuming speaker. The soft rubber exterior is coupled with a mesh grill type effect which runs around the majority of the speaker and is again black in color.

The bottom of the speaker is largely uneventful with the exception of an additional grilled port which looks to be in place to act as a bass port, while the top of the speaker houses a small flap which bears a standby (power) icon. Beneath this flap is where you will find the majority of the connection ports including the 3.5 mm input port as well as the microUSB charge port.

It is also worth pointing out that the standby icon on the top flap is also the main power button for the speaker. The actual button is located beneath the flap but pressing on the rubber flap (without opening) allows for the activation (or powering down) of the speaker. One of the nice touches here is that the standby icon is somewhat transparent so the icon is illuminated when the speaker is powered on.

One of the nice aspects of this particular Bluetooth speaker is that it comes with all the controls you need on the face of the speaker. In particular, it is worth noting that the buttons do include separate buttons for the the volume up/down and the skip forward/back functions. Typically speaking, a lot of Bluetooth speakers nowadays combine these particular features into the same buttons - so your volume up also works as your skip forward and so on. This is not the case with the DKnight Big MagicBox which includes separate volume up, volume down, skip forward and skip back buttons. In addition, the front face of the speaker also includes a ‘phone’ button which is used to activate the hands-free functionality as well as the play/pause button.

In terms of the design overall, the first thing that comes to mind with the DKnight Big MagicBox is just how unassuming the design is. DKnight have clearly looked to bring to market a speaker which looks stylish, but still packs in all of the functions you would expect. Which is a much harder balance to strike than you might expect. Whether the speaker is in use or not, this is one which will easily blend into the background and will not attract any unnecessary attention. Although the closer you look, the more detail you will actually begin to notice.

Sound Quality & Performance

When it comes to a Bluetooth speaker, sound quality and the general performance will always be cause(s) for concern. After all, this is the main feature on offer with a Bluetooth speaker. In terms of the DKnight Big MagicBox, this is one which performs extremely well. First off and in spite of its small size, this is one powerful speaker. It is rated to offer a peak output of 20-watts and it certainly does not disappoint in this respect. It is deceivingly loud for its size and one which can easily fill the room, as well as the surrounding rooms too.

In terms of the actual quality of the sound output, again, this was surprisingly good for the cost of this unit. It is clear that of the frequency range, the bass is where the sound suffers the most. It is not terrible by any means and there is bass. In fact, it was noted that when playing bass-heavy tracks and the speaker stood in the vertical position, the actual speaker can get a little jumpy. Which certainly does highlight that the bass is there. However, it just felt that compared to other options and the general industry at large, the bass was less-defined than the mids or tops. In terms of the jumping issue, this obviously can be remedied very quickly by positioning the speaker horizontally. The mids and tops are certainly more pronounced with no major issues noted. If you are looking for the absolute best in class frequency separation, then this is not likely to be what you are looking for. However, for a very competitively-priced and super loud speaker, the sound output was of a good enough quality.

Likewise, there were virtually no issues noted with the performance in general. During testing, this was thought to be a very reliable speaker and at no point were there any issues noted with the consistency, quality or reliability of the DKnight Big MagicBox. In all instances, it performed well, handled a good selection of genres and generally, sounded good.

Battery Life & Connectivity

OK, so this is a Bluetooth speaker and it makes use of Bluetooth v4.0. Which does mean it is making use of one of the newer versions of Bluetooth. Not the newest, but new enough. Bluetooth 4.0 offers a very reliable connection and can establish and maintain a connection from as much as 33 feet away from a target streaming device. In testing, this proved to be a fairly reliable yardstick. The DKnight Big MagicBox is able to establish and maintain a connection for up to 10 meters. It won’t maintain a reliable connection much beyond this level but within the confines of what is expected with Bluetooth 4.0, the MagicBox performs to a good degree. It is also worth noting that within that 10 meter radius, the speaker is very adept at maintaining a connection even when walls are entered into the equation - permitting you are within the 33 feet maximum distance.

Of course, one of the added benefits of the DKnight Big MagicBox compared so some of the other options is that this one does come equipped with a 3.5 mm input socket. So if you are stationed and there is no specific need to make use of the Bluetooth connection, then the 3.5 mm port will offer an unrivaled and solid connection. The other obvious benefit of this port is that you can connect older-generation products and non-Bluetooth enabled products as well. So there is no major issues with the DKnight Big MagicBox when it comes to its connectivity. For what this product is, it is versatile and able to connect to multiple different input devices and is able to maintain a connection reliably and without issue, within the recommended distance.

Moving on to the battery side of things and this is a product that comes loaded with a 4,000 mAh battery which is a good thing, as there is no ability to connect to a main socket. So the 4,000 mAh that you have, is all that you have to work with. According to the paperwork, this is enough to provide up to 12 hours of continuous playback. In testing, this proved to be a somewhat reliable measurement. Using the DKnight Big MagicBox for extended periods of time at full volume posed no major issues and this will certainly get you through the better part of 12 hours without incurring any issues. In terms of recharging, the MagixBox is able to replenish its empty battery to full in a little under three hours. So while it is not the quickest of Bluetooth speakers to charge, it does include a big enough battery to get through a decent level of daily usage.

Wrap up

There are a number of options that you can currently choose from in the sub-$100 Bluetooth speaker price bracket. However, they do all seem to compromise somewhere along the line. If it is not in the build quality, then it is in the performance, loudness, frequency range or otherwise. Generally speaking, the DKnight Big MagicBox is one of the few which offers a relatively good experience across the board. The bass is certainly the area where it is most let down, but even in the bass department this is a speaker which performs pretty well. If you are looking for a very affordable, portable and decent-performing Bluetooth speaker, then the DKnight MagicBox for $59.99 is easily worth checking out.

John has been writing about and reviewing tech products since 2014 after making the transition from writing about and reviewing airlines. With a background in Psychology, John has a particular interest in the science and future of the industry. Besides adopting the Managing Editor role at AH John also covers much of the news surrounding audio and visual tech, including cord-cutting, the state of Pay-TV, and Android TV. Contact him at [email protected]